Over a year ago, on July 31, 2007, intense diplomacy from the Secretary-General and the international community culminated in Security Council Resolution 1769, authorizing a hybrid UN-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID). On January 1, 2008, this mission officially came under UN command, but, due to a variety of obstacles—including Sudanese government obstruction, logistical difficulties, and insufficient support from troop- and equipment-contributing countries—the force has not yet reached its maximum strength of 26,000 uniformed personnel. Despite delays in deployment, however, UNAMID continues to work to fulfill its mandate to protect civilians, provide security for humanitarian aid channels, and support efforts toward a political reconciliation.
Learn more about UNAMID’s current status, the training its peacekeepers are undergoing, the obstacles hindering its deployment, the contributions of equipment it still needs, and the work that it is currently undertaking in Darfur.
Current Levels of Deployment
As of 31 July, UNAMID is operating with 9,991 total personnel: 8,123 military and 1,868 police. The majority of these forces are “re-hatted” African Union personnel, and, in keeping with Resolution 1769’s stipulation that the force have a “predominately African character,” most of the troops deployed and those being offered are from African countries. In addition, UNAMID has recently seen the deployment of key Ethiopian and Chinese engineering units; Ethiopian and Egypian peacekeepers; Nepalese Special Forces; and a Thai infantry battalion.
Further troop commitments have been received from African countries like Burkina Faso, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Rwanda, as well as Bangladesh, Indonesia, Jordan, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, and Thailand. Even with the anticipated growth of UNAMID to 13,000 troops in the next two to three months, though, the Secretary-General has stated that the force will not be able to fully deploy for “many more months.”
The Secretary-General reports every 60 days on the deployment of UNAMID. His reports can be found here.
Troop Training
The UN is working to train and equip battalions previously with the African Union and bring them up to UN standards of “self-sustainability” in time for the next round of troop rotations. This will enable UNAMID peacekeepers to extend the duration and frequency of their patrols, which are often cut short because, needing to return to their base in time for dinner, peacekeepers sometimes cannot venture much farther than half a day’s journey from the base.
The United States, led by Special Envoy Richard Williamson, has pushed vocally for the UN to focus on achieving speedy deployment of “boots on the ground.” While a greater troop presence is indeed urgent, the United States and other UN Member States need to work with troop-contributing countries to ensure that the troops that are deployed can perform adequately. Secretary-General Ban has indicated that non-self-sustaining troops risk “overtaxing the mission’s support capabilities” and thereby endanger the efficacy of the entire mission. The United States has committed significant resources to training peacekeepers that will be deployed in Darfur.
Obstacles to Deployment
Darfur is the size of Texas, has very few roads, and the nearest port through which supplies can come is 1,400 miles away. In the rainy season, large swaths of territory become nearly impassable, rendering both UNAMID and humanitarian operations exceedingly difficult. Because of insufficient water resources in Darfur, the UN has to make provisions to either fly in water or construct wells that it shares with the local population.
UNAMID’s deployment and operations are also frustrated by Darfur’s persistent and pervasive climate of insecurity. Humanitarian convoys face daily risk of carjackings, banditry, and abductions, and, in the past months, UNAMID peacekeepers have also been the targets of extreme violence, from all sides of the conflict. Both the government and rebels continue to pursue a military solution and, as is made clear by this year’s attacks on the capitals of Sudan and Chad, have vastly expanded the scope of the conflict beyond Darfur’s borders. In such a climate of lawlessness and violence, it is little surprise that many countries are hesitant to send their troops into harm’s way.
In addition, because UNAMID is a hybrid mission, the AU, UN, and, effectively, the Government of Sudan must all approve troop contributions, negotiate Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with each troop-contributing country, and conduct full troop evaluations. Many troop contributors have already worked out MOUs with Sudan, and the UN and AU continue to work to speed up the predeployment process and find flexible solutions to bureaucratic delays.
The largest obstacle to UNAMID’s deployment, however, has been obstructionist tactics by the Government of Sudan. Khartoum has repeatedly rejected the inclusion of any non-African personnel whatsoever, which controverts Resolution 1769’s stipulation for a “predominantly African character” and has caused some countries to rescind their troop offers out of frustration. Sudan has also objected to UN command of the force, refused to give the UN sufficient land and water rights, imposed arbitrary visa and flight requirements, disrupted and insisted on the right to monitor UNAMID activities, and even objected to UNAMID troops wearing blue berets. Perhaps most immediately, it has prevented essential cargo and heavy equipment from leaving Port Sudan. The UN continues to work with the Government of Sudan to provide secure transportation of these vital supplies to Darfur and to drop all obstacles hindering UNAMID’s operations and further deployment.
Helicopters, Specialized Units and Equipment
Particularly important to the mission’s success is the deployment of Formed Police Units. Thus far, of the 19 such units authorized, 12 have been pledged, but only one is yet operational on the ground. UNAMID also continues to recruit additional female police officers, whose presence is crucial in curbing the rampant rape that has marked the conflict in Darfur.
In addition to its needs for further troop and police deployments, UNAMID still urgently requires key equipment that will enable it to maximize its presence on the ground. Chief among these needs are at least 18 transport and 6 attack helicopters. Without this critical air support, UNAMID cannot quickly transport troops across large areas to protect civilians or carry necessary cargo and supplies, particularly during the rainy season. The mission also still needs other heavy transportation vehicles—many of the AU’s have been deemed “not roadworthy”—and accelerated construction of UNAMID “supercamps.”
UNAMID's Work
Despite the many obstacles facing it, UNAMID has continued to work toward securing Internally Displaced Person camps and maintaining a presence to dissuade further violence and provide the foundation for a meaningful ceasefire. The mission has in fact increased the number of patrols it conducts, from just 271 in January to 581 in July. More and more of these patrols are being conducted at night, to escort women as they venture outside of the camps to collect firewood. To continue and expand on its protection responsibilities, though, UNAMID will need the full support and commitment of the United States and the rest of the international community.
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